Mine skip



June 6, 1939. o. D. MccLURE MINE SKIP Filed May 4, 1937` 2 sheets-sheet 1 June 6, 1939.

o. D. MccLuRE 2,161,583

MINE SKIP Filed May 4, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- n 30 fw MMM/39, 46 A Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED srarss PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

This invention relates to a class of devices known as mine skips for hoisting and dumping ore, coal, and the like from mines and pits.

Such skips commonly comprise a frame or cradle to which the hoisting cable is attached, and a. bucket in and pivotally connected at its lower end to the bottom of the cradle carrying the material to be hoisted. Suitable vertical 4guides are provided for the cradle and, at the top of the pit, suitably curved guides are provided for engaging with the bucket and causing it to tilt and discharge its contents on the dump.

As heretofore built, the bucket consists of a square box which, with its cradle, ilts in the shaft of the mine or pit and isv equipped with rollers on its top that engage a track at the dump that turns it upside down, discharging its contents. These skips are successful for handling dry material but, when raising soft and sticky ore and other like material, the ore will cling to and build up in the corners of the box or bucket, and this building up in the corners extends up from the bottom and a large amount of the material is retained in the bottom of the skip which never comes out. In soft ore mines, this sticking of the ore in the box or bucket gets so serious that periodically a man has to go inside and clean it out, resulting in delayed operations and other inconveniences.

One object of the present invention has been to design a skip box or bucket of such a character that corners will be avoided and soft and sticky ore will discharge as freely as dry ore, practically the entire contents being discharged at each dumping operation.

Another object of the invention has been to provide in association with the hinge of the bucket an improved system for automatically maintaining the hinge thoroughly lubricated sothat the bucket will tilt easily at the dumping point.

Other objects have been to provide improvements in the cradle of the skip which 4will render it more rigid, stronger, and more substantial.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the d invention will be apparent to persons familiar with devices of this character from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated an improved embodiment of the invention, and wherein- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the skip taken on the line I-I of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View.

Fig. 4 is aside elevation of the cradle.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional View through one of the bearings of the bucket on the cradle, taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5. 5 Referring to the drawings, Il) designates as an entirety the cradle, and II the bucket or box. More fully -describing the cradle I6, this consists of a pair of vertical side members preferably consisting, as best shown in Fig. 4, of upper and lower :ga plates I2 and I3 and a plurality of angle bars I4 strongly riveted to and connecting said plates. The upper plates I2, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are integral with the ends of a one-piece cast metal bail I5 formed with a central eye I6 for attachi ment of the hoisting cable. The lower plates I3 are steel castings formed with integral hollow bosses il into which a pair of shafts I8 and I9 are pressed by hydraulic pressure to give a tight t and rigidity to the cradle frame. Smooth steel linings or shoes 2B are applied to the outer sides of the plates I2 (Fig. 2) and similar smooth linings 2| are applied to the inner angle bars I4 of the side frames, to afford a smooth and durable sliding fit on the usual rectangular wooden up- 2 rights of the skip guides (not shown). Similar shoes or linings 20 and 2| are applied to the outer sides of the steel castings I3.

rIhe bucket Ii is preferably formed by a main body section 22 and a lower bottom section 23, *4 both of rectangular cross section, and the lower section 23 is formed with an integral concave parti-spherical bottom 24. The two sections are united by an external hoop or band 25 welded or otherwise secured to the meeting ends of the sec'- tions, other hoops or bands 26 being also employed to stiffen and strengthen the body section 22. lTo eliminate corners -oi 90 degrees or less the corner portions of the bucket are beveled or chamfered as shown at 21 in Figs. 2 and 3. This rounding of the bottom of the bucket and the beveling of its corners prevent-soft or sticky ore from clinging to the interior of the bucket and greatly facilitate a clean dump of the ore as compared with the old and known square at bottomed buckets. On the upper end of the bucket are a pair of rollers 28 (Fig. 2) which, when the bucket reaches the top of the shaft, engage with suitably curved guides to eiiect the tilting and inversion of the bucket to dump the contents. 50

Integral with the cup-shaped bottom 24 of the bucket is a flange 29, to the bottom side of which is attached a pair of plates 3U, and integral with each plate is a depending half bearing block 3I (Figs. 5 and 6) engaging the upper portion of the 55 shaft |19, with a lining section 32. To a flange 33 on the lower end of the half bearing block 3l is secured by screw bolts 34 'an oil box 35, the top wall of which is formed with a mating half bearing 36 that engages the lower portion of the shaft I9 through a complementary half lining 31. The hollow box 35 provides a chamber 38 to contain a body of oil for lubricating the shaft bear- In the plate 30 and half bearing block 3l is a hole 39 that is normally closed by a plug 40. In the bottom of the hole 39 is a tapped hole 4| that receives the threaded upper portion of a tube 42 that extends downwardly through the chamber 38 into a hole 43 in the bottom wall of the chamber that is normally closed by a threaded plug 44. The lower end of the tube 42 is closed, and in the side wall thereof is a hole 45 through which the oil in the chamber enters the tube. In the bearing block 3| is a drilled duct 46, one end of which communicates with the hole 39 slightly above the open upper end of the tube 40, while its other end portion communicates with a radial duct 46 in the lining through which the oil may flow to the surface of the shaft I9. Through the bottom portion of the lining section 31 and half bearing 3'3 is drilled a duct 41 through which the lubricant may drain back into the chamber 3S.

The oil box 35 is attached to the half bearing `block 3l not only by the screw bolts 34 but also,

as shown in Fig. 5, by means of horizontal screws 48 that extend through end washers 49, annular flanges 5|] on the ends of the linings 32 and 31, and into the ends of the block 3i and oil box 35.

When the contents of the bucket are dumped, the bucket tilts to the right or clockwise viewing Fig. 6, so that the oil in the tube 42 is caused to flow through the hole 39 and ducts 43, 46 to the top of the shaft bearing, thus maintaining the latter thoroughly lubricated, and when the bucket is upright surplus oil in the bearing drips back through duct 41 into the oil chamber 38. When it is necessary to rell or replenish the chamber 38, this is readily done by inverting the bucket, and withdrawing the plug 44.

It is believed that the foregoing description taken with the drawings will make clear to persons skilled in the art how the present invention accomplishes the stated purposes and objects thereof. Variations and modifications in the structural details may be resorted to within the terms and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a skip of the class described, the combination of a bucket having a bowl-shaped bottom and an annular flange on the outer side of said bottom, a pair of axially alined journal bearings attached to the bottom side of said flange, a cradle having at its lower end a pair of flat steel end plates to which the lower end portions of the side limbs of the cradle are secured, and a pivot shaft for said bucket tightly fitted in holes in said end plates and rigidly connecting and spacing the latter, said pivot shaft extending through said bearings.

2. In a skip of the class described, the combination of a cradle, a fixed shaft in and spanning the bottom of said cradle, and a bucket having on its bottom a bearing journaled on said shaft, said bearing having a hollow portion forming an oil chamber and an oil duct in said bearing leading from said chamber to said shaft and operative to conduct oil by gravity to said shaft only when said bearing is inverted.

3. In a skip of the class described, the combination of a cradle, a xed shaft in and span ning the bottom of said cradle, and a bucket having on its bottom a bearing journaled on said shaft, said bearing having a hollow portion form- 1' ing an oil chamber, an oil duct leading from said chamber to said shaft and operative to conduct oil by gravity to said shaft only when said bearing is inverted, and a return oil duct leading from said shaft to said chamber.

4. In a skip of the class described, the combination of a cradle, a fixed shaft in and spanning the bottom of said cradle, and a bucket having on its bottom a bearing journaled on said shaft, said bearing having a hollow lower portion forming an oil chamber, an oil duct leading from said chamber to the top portion of said shaft and operative to conduct oil by gravity to said shaft only when said bearing is inverted, and a return o'il duct leading from the bottom portion of said shaft to said chamber.

5. In a skip of the class described, the combination of a cradle, a fixed shaft in and spanning the bottom of said cradle, and a bucket having on its bottom a bearing journaled on said shaft, said bearing having a hollow lower portion forming an oil chamber, an oil duct leading from said chamber to the top portion of said shaft and operative to conduct oil by gravity to said shaft only when said bearing is inverted, and a filling opening and removable closure therefor in the bottom of said oil chamber through which, by inverting said bucket, said chamber may be charged with oil.

ORA D. MCCLURE.

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